Lecture 2: Political Culture of India

Study Notes

India's diversity requires a political culture rooted in constitutional values, truth, respect, civility, and restraint.

In 1963, Weiner published an article on Indian political culture, highlighting the urban-rural divide.
Weiner identified two 'political cultures': mass political culture and elite political culture.
Mass political culture is permeated with traditional elements but is not wholly traditional, representing the lower rungs of Indian society.
Elite political culture is associated with modernity and a developmental outlook, but also retains traditional components.

Weiner observed that both cultures are expanding in opposite directions, foreseeing an eventual clash.
The elite culture radiates from New Delhi, while the mass culture expands from localities to state legislative assemblies and governments.

Despite conflicting elements, there are shared attitudes and behavioral patterns that distinguish Indians from others.

Morris-Jones formulated a similar concept, identifying modern, traditional, and saintly idioms in Indian political culture.
These idioms interact, illuminating general and particular aspects of Indian political life.

Redford and Singer discussed 'Great tradition' and 'Little tradition', while Rudolph highlighted a gap between traditional and modern cultures.
Sudipta Kaviraj used Foucauldian terms, such as 'upper discourse' and 'lower discourse', to describe the coexistence of two cultures in the political arena.